Are custom PCs cheaper than getting one straight from a shop?

Question

And also can ANY PC be upgraded? (new processor, RAM, hard disk etc?)

Answer 1

yes, they can be. Yes any PC can be upgraded, unless it is already maxxed out, like my old 486. If you know what you are doing you can build your own PC and can get it for cheaper and also it can be much better than one you buy at a store or from Dell or whereever. Once you understand how a computer goes together you can put one together rather easily. Try getting parts off of ebay.

Answer 2

yes, a custom made PC wod be defiinitely cheaper than a simillar one straight from the shop. but there is a risk of warranty and guarranty which would be less than that from the shop. even we cannot say that a custom amde pc will be working at the same efficiency as the straight one. some times custom made pc will work better. it all depends on the matching of the components and the settings of the system. if u have a good hard ware engineer in ur hand then u can definiltley go for an experiment with a custom amde one. otherwise think once again and take atleast an expert opinion with all ur requirements listed.

Any pc cannot be upgraded. as u like it. for example a Pentium -3 cannot be upgraded to a p-IV . all the slots and pin setting of the processor will be diofferent . the power capacitites will also vary.

and yes, hard disk can be upgraded but the processor capacity need to be checked. a P-3 cannot suppot a hard dis of 160gb. and a p-1 cannot support more than 20gb. hoever a p-4 can support a 200gb too.
for upgrading ram the bus spedd of the mother board needs to be checked. and if there is a difference in the bus speed of two ram chips in the adjcent slots then also problems may crop up. check the bus speeds of mother board and also the iolder rams before upgrading.

however the cd drives can be upgaded without any discussion.

Answer 3

There is no simple answer. Custom PCs can be cheaper... or more expensive, or just the same. It depends on what you're looking at, whether you're building it yourself or having it custom made by a dealer, etc. Most PCs can be upgraded. Not all. Some manufactured PCs are extremely difficult to upgrade. New processors in an old computer most often require a new motherboard, which will often require new RAM, and if you're going that route, it's often just as cheap to buy a new computer.

If you're looking for a high-end machine for gaming, etc., then it typically won't be cheaper to get one custom made - but you WILL know what's inside your computer, and it may perform better for YOU. If you're looking for something simple - word processing, typical internet usage, simple games, email, etc. - then most of the manufactured ones are really far more powerful than you need - and getting one custom made, or building it yourself can be much, much cheaper.

I build all of my computers myself. I have three right now, and have built 5. Four of them were under $500, including shipping and handling. They perform admirably - but I'm not using them for heavy duty gaming or video editing, etc.

Answer 4

Custom PCs require extra work - while one straight off the shelves has been mass produced and therefore gets the benefits of a cheaper mass production method.

Most PCs can be upgraded - though some manufacturers like to add quirky features and fittings ( like power supplies, memory chips that are a certain special shape ) that force you to upgrade using their items.

Answer 5

Depends. You can probably purchase all of the components and put it together for less than it would cost to get one from Dell, HP, or Gateway. Of course, if you have problems, then you have to deal with everyting on your own. No support, etc... Depends on how comfortable you are with doing all of this.

As for upgrades, the answer is some can, some can't. Memory, hard drive, optical, etc... Those are easy to upgrade. Processor upgrades are more difficult and really depend on the chipset on the system board.

Answer 6

Yes, getting a custom built PC for your needs is pretty much always cheaper if you can find a good reputable PC shop.

As for the upgrading, yes, but sometimes you may need a new motherboard, and may not be financially worth it.

Answer 7

No you can't buy the parts for the price as big manufacturer's,remember that you would also have to buy a full version of Windows xp around £150 alone to add to the cost of a basic system unless you chose the Linux route then this could be free depending which OS you choose,Sues 10.1 live is a good one or Ubuntu.
Both have loads of free software Packaged Suse in particular has the popular Open-office Suite and Fire-fox for browsing the web
Hope this helps

Answer 8

custome pc will nearly always be dearer this is because pc gotten from a shop CANNOT generally be upgraded easily this is because they use onboard sound/video cards this makes them easier to produce and cheaper to buy, any home built pc can be upgraded but cpu/motherboard upgrades need to be compatable. if your getting a new pc i recomend getting a home built pc, for parts and that i recomend www.overclockers.com the stuff is reasonable priced and quick deliverys i hope this helps

Answer 9

No, of course they aren't cheaper. Dell sell whole PC pacakges with a TFT monitor included for £299. You could never build one that cheap. Granted, the PC isn't going to be very expandable, but if all you are looking for is a netsurfer, and word pro or image manipulation PC, then they are fine.

Answer 10

yes it is cheaper to buy a custom made pc than a straight pc(dell, hp...etc)
and nyes any pc may be upgraded, even the laptop